Hercules and his 12 laborsBy: Katie and Meg -The goddess Hera caused Hercules to go insane, killing his own wife and children
- When Hercules returned to his normal state of mind, he was appalled by his actions and prayed to the god Apollo for guidance
- Apollo told him that he would have to serve Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns and Mycenae for twelve years.
- As part of the sentence, Hercules had to perform 12 Labors, tasks that were almost physically impossible.
1. The Lion- Hercules was to bring the skin of a lion that terrorized the hills of Nemea to the king for his first task. Once Hercules found the lion, he discovered that the lion was unresponsive to his arrows and clubs. When the lion lunged at Hercules, he grabbed the lion by the neck and choked him to death.
2. The Hydra- For his second task, Hercules was to kill the Lernean Hydra who terrorized the swamps of Lerna. The Hydra was a serpent with nine heads that attacked with poisonous venom. Once he lured the Hyrda from its cave, Hercules realized that cutting off one of the Hydra’s heads would result in two growing back in its place. Hercules destroyed all of the nine immortal heads and then slit the body with a knife for good measure.
3. The Hind- Hercules was then asked to bring a Hind (female red deer) from Cernya to the king. However, this deer was special because it had horns and hooves of gold. It was also sacred to Diana, the goddess of the hunt. After trapping the deer, he was confronted by Diana but after explaining the truth to the goddess, he was pardoned and returned to the king with the hind. 4. The Boar- Next, Hercules was asked to bring the Erymanthian boar alive to the king. After finding the boar, Hercules chased it around the mountain. Once it exhausted all of its strength, the boar stopped to rest. Hercules captured the boar in a net and returned to the king. 5. The Stables- For his next task, Hercules was asked to clean up king Augeas’s stables in a single day. To accomplish this, Hercules tore an opening in two stable walls and dug trenches from a river to the stables, allowing the river to flush out all the mess from the stables.
6. The Birds- For his sixth task, Hercules was asked to drive away an enormous flock of birds that had gathered in a nearby village. The goddess Athena came to his aid and provided Hercules with the krotala, an instrument like castanets. Hercules played the krotala and shot at the birds with an arrow as they flew away.
7. The Bull- Hercules was then asked to get rid of the Cretan bull. When he got to Crete, Hercules wrestled the bull and drove it back to the king. The king, having a change of heart, set the bull free.
8. The Horses- The king then asked Hercules to bring him one of the man-eating horses Diomedes. After fighting and killing Diomedes himself, Hercules brought the horses back to the king. The king turned them loose and they wandered around Mt. Olympus until they were eaten by wild beasts.
9. The Belt- For his ninth labor, Hercules was asked to bring back the belt of Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons. Meanwhile, Hera, disguised as an Amazon, told everyone that Hercules was going to kill Hippolyte. The Amazons ran to attack Hercules and thinking fast, Hercules killed Hippolyte and ran away with her belt.
10. The Cattle- Hercules was then asked to travel to the end of the earth and bring the king the cattle of Geryon. As Hercules left with the cattle, Geryon himself attacked Hercules. Hercules fought and killed Geryon and returned with the cattle to the king.
11. The Apples- Next, Hercules was ordered to bring the king golden apples belonging to Zeus. After figuring out the location of the apples, Hercules realized they were guarded by powerful nymphs who were the daughters of the god Atlas. He realized that the only way to get the apples was to ask Atlas to get them for him. So, he switched places with Atlas, holding up the world while Atlas got the apples for him.
12. Ceberus- For his final task, Hercules was asked to kidnap the three-headed dog, Ceberus, who guarded the underworld. Hercules went to the underworld unarmed to capture Ceberus. He wrestled with the dog and finally captured it. When he returned to the king, the king returned Ceberus to the underworld.
- His struggles made Hercules the perfect example of an idea the Greeks called pathos, meaning, the experience of extreme struggle which leads to fame and immortality. Under this idea, Hercules became a hero.
-The goddess Hera caused Hercules to go insane, killing his own wife and children
- When Hercules returned to his normal state of mind, he was appalled by his actions and prayed to the god Apollo for guidance
- Apollo told him that he would have to serve Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns and Mycenae for twelve years.
- As part of the sentence, Hercules had to perform 12 Labors, tasks that were almost physically impossible.
1. The Lion- Hercules was to bring the skin of a lion that terrorized the hills of Nemea to the king for his first task. Once Hercules found the lion, he discovered that the lion was unresponsive to his arrows and clubs. When the lion lunged at Hercules, he grabbed the lion by the neck and choked him to death.
2. The Hydra- For his second task, Hercules was to kill the Lernean Hydra who terrorized the swamps of Lerna. The Hydra was a serpent with nine heads that attacked with poisonous venom. Once he lured the Hyrda from its cave, Hercules realized that cutting off one of the Hydra’s heads would result in two growing back in its place. Hercules destroyed all of the nine immortal heads and then slit the body with a knife for good measure.
3. The Hind- Hercules was then asked to bring a Hind (female red deer) from Cernya to the king. However, this deer was special because it had horns and hooves of gold. It was also sacred to Diana, the goddess of the hunt. After trapping the deer, he was confronted by Diana but after explaining the truth to the goddess, he was pardoned and returned to the king with the hind.
4. The Boar- Next, Hercules was asked to bring the Erymanthian boar alive to the king. After finding the boar, Hercules chased it around the mountain. Once it exhausted all of its strength, the boar stopped to rest. Hercules captured the boar in a net and returned to the king.
5. The Stables- For his next task, Hercules was asked to clean up king Augeas’s stables in a single day. To accomplish this, Hercules tore an opening in two stable walls and dug trenches from a river to the stables, allowing the river to flush out all the mess from the stables.
6. The Birds- For his sixth task, Hercules was asked to drive away an enormous flock of birds that had gathered in a nearby village. The goddess Athena came to his aid and provided Hercules with the krotala, an instrument like castanets. Hercules played the krotala and shot at the birds with an arrow as they flew away.
7. The Bull- Hercules was then asked to get rid of the Cretan bull. When he got to Crete, Hercules wrestled the bull and drove it back to the king. The king, having a change of heart, set the bull free.
8. The Horses- The king then asked Hercules to bring him one of the man-eating horses Diomedes. After fighting and killing Diomedes himself, Hercules brought the horses back to the king. The king turned them loose and they wandered around Mt. Olympus until they were eaten by wild beasts.
9. The Belt- For his ninth labor, Hercules was asked to bring back the belt of Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons. Meanwhile, Hera, disguised as an Amazon, told everyone that Hercules was going to kill Hippolyte. The Amazons ran to attack Hercules and thinking fast, Hercules killed Hippolyte and ran away with her belt.
10. The Cattle- Hercules was then asked to travel to the end of the earth and bring the king the cattle of Geryon. As Hercules left with the cattle, Geryon himself attacked Hercules. Hercules fought and killed Geryon and returned with the cattle to the king.
11. The Apples- Next, Hercules was ordered to bring the king golden apples belonging to Zeus. After figuring out the location of the apples, Hercules realized they were guarded by powerful nymphs who were the daughters of the god Atlas. He realized that the only way to get the apples was to ask Atlas to get them for him. So, he switched places with Atlas, holding up the world while Atlas got the apples for him.
12. Ceberus- For his final task, Hercules was asked to kidnap the three-headed dog, Ceberus, who guarded the underworld. Hercules went to the underworld unarmed to capture Ceberus. He wrestled with the dog and finally captured it. When he returned to the king, the king returned Ceberus to the underworld.
- His struggles made Hercules the perfect example of an idea the Greeks called pathos, meaning, the experience of extreme struggle which leads to fame and immortality. Under this idea, Hercules became a hero.